Circuit body for vehicle

ABSTRACT

A circuit body for a vehicle includes: a plurality of control boxes capable of controlling input and output of at least one of electric power and a communication signal; a trunk line harness connecting one of the plurality of control boxes and another of the plurality of control boxes; and a branch line harness connecting the control box and the electrical component. The control box includes: a trunk line connecting portion to which the trunk line harness is connected; and a branch line connecting portion to which the branch line harness is connected. At least one of the trunk line connecting portion and the branch line connecting portion includes a plurality of connectors which are classified into a plurality of groups according to an allowable current amount and in which a plurality of the connectors classified into the same group have connection compatibility.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and claims priority from Japanese PatentApplication No. 2017-232893 filed on Dec. 4, 2017, the entire contentsof which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to a circuitbody for a vehicle.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, a circuit body (so-called wire harness) for connectinga power supply or the like mounted on a vehicle to various electricalcomponents or the like is known. Generally, this type of the circuitbody is constituted so as to be able to realize appropriate supply ofelectric power from a main power supply such as an alternator (powergenerator) and a battery to a large number of electrical components (forexample, ECU and various auxiliary devices), appropriate switching ofpower supply or cutoff, transmission of various communication signals,and the like.

Specifically, this type of the circuit body (wire harness) is generallyconstituted of a wire bundle which is an aggregate of various kinds ofelectric wires connecting a power supply and electrical components, ajunction block for distributing electric power to a plurality ofsystems, a relay box for controlling supply or cutoff of electric powerto each system, fuse box which protects wires and electrical componentsfrom excessive current, and the like (see JP-A-2005-78962, for example).

SUMMARY

In recent years, the structure of a circuit body (wire harness) tends tobe complicated with an increase in electrical components mounted on avehicle, complication of control, and the like. As a result, there arean increase in the number of electric wires constituting the circuitbody, an increase in the size of the circuit body, and the like, andtherefore the weight of the circuit body tends to increase. In addition,with differences in the types of vehicles to be equipped with thecircuit body and an increase in the types of optional electricalcomponents, the types of circuit bodies to be manufactured are increasedand the process of manufacturing the circuit body also becomescomplicated, and thus the manufacturing cost and the manufacturing timeof the circuit body also tend to increase.

One or more embodiments of the invention have been made in view of thecircumstances described above and an object thereof is to provide acircuit body for a vehicle which has a simplified structure of thecircuit body while functions required as a circuit body for a vehicleare maintained.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the features of acircuit body for a vehicle according to one or more embodiments of theinvention described above are briefly summarized and listed below in(1).

(1) A circuit body for a vehicle which is wired on a vehicle body of thevehicle for performing supply of electric power to an electricalcomponent and communication of various communication signals with theelectrical component, the circuit body including:

-   -   a plurality of control boxes separately disposed on the circuit        body and capable of controlling input and output of at least one        of the electric power and the communication signal;    -   a trunk line harness connecting one of the plurality of control        boxes and another of the plurality of control boxes; and    -   a branch line harness connecting the control box and the        electrical component,    -   wherein each of the plurality of control boxes includes:        -   a trunk line connecting portion to which the trunk line            harness is connected; and        -   a branch line connecting portion to which the branch line            harness is connected, and    -   wherein at least one of the trunk line connecting portion and        the branch line connecting portion includes a plurality of        connectors which are classified into a plurality of groups        according to an allowable current amount and in which a        plurality of the connectors classified into the same group have        connection compatibility.

According to the circuit body for a vehicle having the configuration of(1) described above, the trunk line harness and the branch line harnessconstitute the framework of the circuit body, and the supply of electricpower and the communication of the communication signal to theelectrical component through the circuit body are controlled by theplurality of control boxes separately disposed on the circuit body.Therefore, if, for example, the transmission of communication signals isconcentrated in one signal line by performing multiplex communicationbetween the control boxes and, likewise, the power transmission is alsoconcentrated in one power supply line, the structure of the circuit bodycan be simplified as compared with a circuit configuration of therelated art in which a power source and an electrical component areconnected, in principle, one to one. Further, when processes such asdistribution of electric power to a plurality of systems, control ofpower supply or cutoff to each system, protection of electric wires andelectrical components from excessive electric current, and the like areperformed in the control box, it is not necessary to provide a junctionbox or the like used in the circuit body of the related art, and thestructure of the circuit body can be further simplified.

Further, the control box includes the trunk line connecting portion andbranch line connecting portion, and at least one of the trunk lineconnecting portion and the branch line connecting portion includes aplurality of connectors which are classified into a plurality of groupsaccording to an allowable current amount and in which a plurality ofconnectors classified into the same group have connectioninterchangeability whereby the trunk line harness or the branch lineharness may be connected to any connector as long as the trunk lineharness or the branch line harness is connected to a connector in thesame group. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the manufacturingprocess of the circuit body. Further, by classifying the plurality ofconnectors into the plurality of groups according to the allowablecurrent amount, it is possible to simplify the internal structure andthe like by avoiding giving excessive specifications to the control boxas compared with a case where all connectors have connectioncompatibility without being classified.

As described above, according to the circuit body for a vehicle havingthe configuration, it is possible to simplify the structure of thecircuit body while functions required as a circuit body for a vehicleare maintained.

According to one or more embodiments of the invention, it is possible toprovide a circuit body for a vehicle which has a simplified structure ofthe circuit body while functions required as a circuit body for avehicle are maintained.

Hereinbefore, one or more embodiments of the invention are brieflydescribed. Further, the details of the invention will be furtherclarified by reading a mode for carrying out the invention (hereinafter,referred to as “embodiment”) described below with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a state inwhich a wire harness according to a first embodiment of the invention iswired on a vehicle body;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of an I-type trunk line harness connectingbetween an electrical connection box and an electrical connection boxillustrated in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken alongthe line A-A of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of an I-type branch line harnessconnecting between an electrical connection box and an electricalcomponent illustrated in FIG. 1, FIG. 3B is a perspective view of aV-type branch line harness connecting between an electrical connectionbox and an electrical component illustrated in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3C is across-sectional view taken along the line B-B of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the electrical connection boxillustrated in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 5A to 5C are diagrams for explaining a procedure for manufacturingthe wire harness illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a procedure when a trunk line harnessis constituted by combining a connector connected to a power supply lineand a connector connected to a communication line;

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a state inwhich a wire harness according to a second embodiment of the inventionis wired on a vehicle body of a vehicle with a right-side steering wheelspecification;

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a state inwhich the wire harness according to the second embodiment of theinvention is wired on a vehicle body of a vehicle with a left-sidesteering wheel specification;

FIGS. 9A to 9F are diagrams for explaining a procedure in manufacturingthe wire harness illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8; and

FIGS. 10A to 10C are perspective views of branch line harnessesaccording to another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION First Embodiment

Hereinafter, a circuit body (wire harness 1) for a vehicle according toa first embodiment of the invention will be described with reference toFIGS. 1 to 6.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the wire harness 1 according to the firstembodiment of the invention is used in a state where the wire harness 1is typically wired on a vehicle body 2 on which various electricalcomponents 40 (40 a to 40 v) are mounted. The wire harness 1 includes aplurality of electrical connection boxes 10 (10 a to 10 i), trunk lineharnesses 20 (20 a to 20 j) which electrically connect between theelectrical connection box 10 and the adjacent electrical connection box10, and branch line harnesses 30 which electrically connect between theelectrical connection box 10 and the adjacent electrical component 40.

The electrical connection box 10 has a plurality of connectoraccommodation holes 11 (see FIG. 4). A connector 23 (see FIGS. 2A and2B) of at least one trunk line harness 20 and a connector 34 (see FIGS.3A to 3C) of at least one branch line harness 30 are connected to theplurality of connector accommodation holes 11 of each electricalconnection box 10. Thus, each electrical connection box 10 is connectedto at least one other electrical connection box 10 and at least oneelectrical component 40. The plurality of connector accommodation holes11 will be described below.

Each electrical connection box 10 incorporates a microcomputer (notillustrated). Each electrical connection box 10 refers to ID informationpossessed by the other electrical connection box 10 and the electricalcomponent 40 connected via the trunk line harness 20 and the branch lineharness 30 using the microcomputer, thereby identifying the otherelectrical connection box 10 and the electrical component 40 connectedthereto.

Further, each electrical connection box 10 can control the electricalcomponents 40 connected thereto using the microcomputer or the likebased on sensor signals, operation signals, and the like transmittedfrom other electrical connection boxes 10 and the electrical components40 connected via the trunk line harness 20 and the branch line harness30. Further, when two or more other electrical connection boxes 10 areconnected via two or more trunk line harnesses 20, each electricalconnection box 10 is able to relay the transmission of sensor signals,operation signals, and the like to and relay the transmission ofelectric power between the two or more other electrical connection boxes10.

As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the trunk line harness 20 is a so-calledI-type harness which includes one power supply line 21 for transmittingelectric power, one communication line 22 for transmitting sensorsignals, operation signals, or the like by multiplex communication, anda pair of connectors 23 connected to both ends of one set of the powersupply line 21 and the communication line 22. The trunk line harness 20is not provided with a ground wire for grounding.

As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the power supply line 21 has a conductor wire21 a having a circular cross section for power transmission and aninsulator 21 b made of resin covering the conductor wire 21 a. Thecommunication line 22 has a pair of electric wires 22 a for signaltransmission, a braided conductor 22 b covering the pair of electricwires 22 a, and an insulator 22 c made of resin covering the braidedconductor 22 b. The braided conductor 22 b has a function of preventingthe signal transmitted by the pair of electric wires 22 a from beingaffected by noise caused by an external magnetic field or the like.

The insulator 21 b of the power supply line 21 and the insulator 22 c ofthe communication line 22 are integrally connected to each other overthe entire region in an extending direction of the trunk line harness 20by a connecting portion 24 made of resin. The connector 23 is providedwith a plurality of terminals (not illustrated) electrically connectedto the conductor wire 21 a and the pair of electric wires 22 a. The pairof connectors 23 located at both ends of the trunk line harness 20 arerespectively inserted and connected to the connector accommodation holes11 of the adjacent electrical connection boxes 10. Therefore, theadjacent electrical connection boxes 10 are electrically connected bythe trunk line harness 20 so that power transmission and multiplexcommunication can be performed between the adjacent electricalconnection boxes 10.

As illustrated in FIG. 3A, the branch line harness 30 is a so-calledI-type harness which includes one power supply line 31 for transmittingelectric power, one communication line 32 for transmitting sensorsignals, operation signals, or the like by multiplex communication, oneground wire 33 for grounding, and a pair of connectors 34 connected toboth ends of one set of the power supply line 31, the communication line32, and the ground wire 33. As illustrated in FIG. 3B, the branch lineharness 30 may be a so-called V-type harness in which one connector 34which is connected to two sets of the power supply line 31, thecommunication line 32, and the ground wire 33 is provided on one endside, and two connectors 34 each of which is connected to one set of thepower supply line 31, the communication line 32, and the ground wire 33are provided.

As illustrated in FIG. 3C, the power supply line 31 has a conductor wire31 a having a circular cross section for power transmission and aninsulator 31 b made of resin covering the conductor wire 31 a. Thecommunication line 32 has a pair of electric wires 32 a for signaltransmission, a braided conductor 32 b covering the pair of electricwires 32 a, and an insulator 32 c made of resin covering the braidedconductor 32 b. The braided conductor 32 b has a function of preventingthe signal transmitted by the pair of electric wires 32 a from beingaffected by noise caused by an external magnetic field or the like. Theground wire 33 has a conductor wire 33 a having a circular cross sectionfor grounding and an insulator 33 b made of resin covering the conductorwire 33 a.

The insulator 31 b of the power supply line 31 and the insulator 32 c ofthe communication line 32, and the insulator 32 c of the communicationline 32 and the insulator 33 b of the ground wire 33 are integrallyconnected over the entire region in the extending direction of thebranch line harness 30 such that the power supply line 31, thecommunication line 32, and the ground wire 33 are aligned in a widthdirection. The connector 34 is provided with a plurality of terminals(not illustrated) electrically connected to the conductor wire 31 a, thepair of electric wires 32 a, and the conductor wire 33 a. The connector34 located at one end of the branch line harness 30 is inserted andconnected to the connector accommodation hole 11 of the electricalconnection box 10, and the connector 34 located at the other end of thebranch line harness 30 is inserted and connected to the connectoraccommodation hole (not illustrated) of the electrical component 40.Therefore, the electrical connection box 10 and the electrical component40 are electrically connected by the branch line harness 30, and thuspower transmission and multiplex communication become possible betweenthe electrical connection box 10 and the electrical component 40.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, each electrical connection box 10is arranged at a position relatively close to a mounting position of theconnected electrical component 40 on the vehicle body 2. Therefore, thelength of the branch line harness 30 connected to each electricalconnection box 10 is relatively short. On the other hand, some adjacentelectrical connection boxes 10 have a large distance therebetween.Therefore, the plurality of trunk line harnesses 20 include relativelylong one.

Specifically, in the example illustrated in FIG. 1, an electricalconnection box 10 a is connected to a direction indication lamp 40 a onthe right front side of the vehicle body, and a right headlight 40 b. Anelectrical connection box 10 b is connected to a left headlight 40 c anda direction indication lamp 40 d on the left front side of the vehiclebody. An electrical connection box 10 c is connected to a brake controlmodule 40 e. An electrical connection box 10 d is connected to a fuelinjection control module 40 f An electrical connection box 10 e isconnected to a right electric door mirror 40 g, an electrical component40 h of a right front door, and an electrical component 4 i around aright front electric seat. An electrical connection box 10 f isconnected to a left electric door mirror 40 j, an electrical component40 k of a left front door, and an electrical component 40 l around aleft front electric seat. An electrical connection box 10 g is connectedto an electrical component 40 m around an air conditioner, an electricalcomponent 40 n around a head-up display, and an electrical component 40o around a steering wheel. An electrical connection box 10 h isconnected to an electrical component 40 p of a right rear door, anelectrical component 40 q around a right rear electric seat, and adirection indication lamp 40 r of a right rear side of the vehicle body.An electrical connection box 10 i is connected to an electricalcomponent 40 s of a left rear door, an electrical component 40 t arounda left rear electric seat, a direction indication lamp 40 u on a leftrear side of the vehicle body, and a high mount stop lamp 40 v.

Here, the V-type branch line harnesses 30 illustrated in FIG. 3B areused for the connection among the electrical connection box 10 e, theright electric door mirror 40 g, and the electrical component 40 h ofthe right front door, the connection among the electrical connection box10 f, the left electric door mirror 40 j, and the electrical component40 k of the left front door, and the connection among the electricalconnection box 10 g, the electrical component 40 m around the airconditioner, and the electrical component 40 n around the head-updisplay, and the I-type branch line harnesses 30 illustrated in FIG. 3Aare used for the other connections of the electrical connection boxes 10and the electrical components 40.

The electrical connection boxes 10 a and 10 c are connected by the trunkline harness 20 a. The electrical connection boxes 10 b and 10 d areconnected by the trunk line harness 20 b. The electrical connectionboxes 10 c and 10 d are connected by the trunk line harness 20 c. Theelectrical connection boxes 10 c and 10 e are connected by the trunkline harness 20 d. The electrical connection boxes 10 d and 10 f areconnected by the trunk line harness 20 e. The electrical connectionboxes 10 e and 10 f are connected by the trunk line harness 20 f. Theelectrical connection boxes 10 f and 10 g are connected by the trunkline harness 20 g. The electrical connection boxes 10 e and 10 h areconnected by the trunk line harness 20 h. The electrical connectionboxes 10 f and 10 i are connected by the trunk line harness 20 i. Theelectrical connection boxes 10 h and 10 i are connected by the trunkline harness 20 j.

In particular, each of the trunk line harnesses 20 d and 20 e isinserted through a through hole provided in a dash panel 4 of thevehicle body 2. Specifically, grommets 3 (exterior member) through whichthe trunk line harnesses 20 d and 20 d are respectively inserted arerespectively fixed to the through holes, whereby an engine room 5 and apassenger compartment 6 interposing the dash panel 4 therebetween arepartitioned in a liquid-tight manner.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, at least some of the plurality ofelectrical components 40 (40 a to 40 v) mounted on the vehicle body 2are connected to corresponding ground points (not illustrated) of thevehicle body 2, respectively, to be grounded. For example, when theelectrical component 40 has a metallic housing, the electrical component40 can be grounded by electrically connecting (screwing or the like) thehousing to the vehicle body 2 (including a reinforcement or the like).Therefore, the branch line harness 30 (FIG. 10) may be constituted onlyof the power supply line 31 and the communication line 32. Further, whenit is difficult to provide a ground point around the electricalconnection box 10 connected to the electrical component 40, theelectrical component 40 and the electrical connection box 10 may beconnected using the branch line harness 30 having the power supply line31, the communication line 32, and the ground wire 33 such that theelectrical connection box 10 is grounded by the electrical component 40.In this case, the electrical connection box 10 can be grounded via theelectrical component 40 and the branch line harness 30 (FIGS. 3A to 3C).

when the electrical component 40 among the plurality of electricalcomponents 40, such as the electrical component 40 which is difficult toprovide the ground point in the vicinity thereof or the electricalcomponent 40 which is covered with a housing made of resin, is difficultto be grounded to the vehicle body 2, it is also possible to ground theelectrical connection box 10 connected to the electrical component 40via the branch line harness 30 (FIGS. 3A to 3C) to the vehicle body 2and to ground the electrical component 40 via the branch line harness 30and the electrical connection box 10.

As a result, it is not necessary to provide a ground wire to the trunkline harness 20 connecting the electrical connection boxes 10 to groundthe plurality of electrical connection boxes 10. Therefore, in the wireharness 1, there is no ground wire in the trunk line harness 20. Asdescribed above, the plurality of trunk line harnesses 20 includerelatively long one. Therefore, the total extending length of the groundwire as the entirety of the wire harness 1 can be greatly shortened ascompared with an aspect in which ground wires are provided for all ofthe plurality of trunk line harnesses 20 connecting the electricalconnection boxes 10. Thus, the weight of the wire harness 1 can bereduced and the size thereof can be reduced. Further, by drasticallyshortening the total extending length of the ground wire, the extentthat noise is applied to the wire harness 1 due to the fact that theground wire functions as an antenna can also be greatly reduced.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, a plurality of loop circuits areconstituted by connecting the plurality of electrical connection boxes10 with the plurality of trunk line harnesses 20. Specifically, thereare two loop circuits such as a loop circuit connected in order of“electrical connection box 10 c-trunk line harness 20 c-electricalconnection box 10 d-trunk line harness 20 e-electrical connection box 10f-trunk line harness 20 f-electrical connection box 10 e-trunk lineharness 20 d-electrical connection box 10 c” and a loop circuitconnected in order of “electrical connection box 10 e-trunk line harness20 f-electrical connection box 10 f-trunk line harness 20 i-electricalconnection box 10 i-trunk line harness 20 j-electrical connection box 10h-trunk line harness 20 h-electrical connection box 10 e”.

Therefore, even when an abnormality such as disconnection occurs in apart of the trunk line harness 20, it is easy to secure a detour route.Therefore, the wire harness 1 can greatly enhance the redundancy of thesystem using the wire harness 1.

Hereinafter, the plurality of the connector accommodation holes 11included in the electrical connection box 10 will be described withreference to FIG. 4. As illustrated in

FIG. 4, in the electrical connection box 10, the plurality of connectoraccommodation holes 11 having a plurality of sizes are formed. Theplurality of sizes include a size (corresponding to the size of theconnector accommodation hole 11 a) in which one connector accommodationhole 11 having that size is formed, and a size (corresponding to thesizes of the connector accommodation holes 11 b to 11 d) in which theplurality of the connector accommodation holes 11 having those sizes areformed.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, a plurality of connectoraccommodation holes 11 having four sizes are formed, and specifically,one connector accommodation hole 11 a, two connector accommodation holes11 b, six connector accommodation holes 11 c, and ten connectoraccommodation holes 11 d are formed in descending order of size.Connectors Ca to Cd of sub-harnesses having corresponding sizes arerespectively connected to the connector accommodation holes 11 a to 11d. Specifically, the connectors Ca to Cd are the connector 23 of thetrunk line harness 20 and the connector 34 of the branch line harness30.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, as the magnitude of the currentflowing through the sub-harness is larger, the connectors Ca to Cdhaving larger sizes are connected to the sub-harnesses. Therefore, thesize of the connector accommodation hole 11 corresponds to the magnitude(specifically, the magnitude of the current flowing through the powersupply lines 21 and 31) of the current flowing through the sub-harnessconnected to the connector accommodation hole 11. As a result, comparedwith an aspect in which the sizes of the connectors of the plurality ofsub-harnesses and the sizes of the plurality of the connectoraccommodation holes 11 are unified into the largest size, the electricalconnection box 10 does not require excessive specifications, and thusthe size of the electrical connection box 10 can be greatly reduced.

Further, as described above, the electrical connection box 10 canidentify a connection destination by referring to the ID information ofthe connection destination of the connected sub-harness using themicrocomputer incorporated therein. In other words, it has connectioncompatibility. Therefore, when a plurality of connectors of thesub-harnesses having the same size are connected to a plurality ofcorresponding connector accommodation holes 11 having the same size, itis possible to identify each of the connection destinations and form adesired circuit regardless of which one of the connectors is connectedto any of the connector accommodation holes 11. As a result, comparedwith an aspect in which the connector accommodation holes 11 arerespectively designated to be connected to respective connectors, it ispossible to greatly reduce the worker's burden when the connector of thesub-harness is connected to the connector accommodation hole 11.

Next, an example of a manufacturing method of the wire harness 1described above will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, as illustrated in FIG. 5A, the trunk line harnesses 20 areconfigured to correspond to a wire routing form to the vehicle body. Inthis case, the trunk line harness 20 may be configured such that thepower supply line 21 and the communication line 22 are constituted asone electric wire as illustrated in FIG. 2, or may be configured suchthat the power supply line 21 and the communication line 22 areconstituted as separate electric wires as illustrated in FIG. 6.

In a case of the former (one electric wire), for example, the trunk lineharness 20 can be configured by collectively extruding the power supplyline 21 and the communication line 22 to provide the connecting portion24 while the power supply line 21 and the communication line 22 arecovered with the insulator 21 b and the insulator 22 c. On the otherhand, in a case of the latter (separate electric wires), as illustratedin FIG. 6, for example, the power supply line 21 and the communicationline 22 are prepared in a state of being separate from each other, and apair of connectors C1 connected to both ends of the power supply line 21of the trunk line harness 20 and a pair of connectors C2 connected toboth ends of the communication line 22 of the trunk line harness 20 areconnected to each other such that the connectors located atcorresponding ends are connected, respectively, by a connectionstructure (not illustrated). Therefore, an I-type trunk line harness 20which includes one power supply line 21, one communication line 22, anda pair of connectors 23 (=connector C1+connector C2) connected to bothends of one set of the power supply line 21 and the communication line22 can be obtained. As described above, the trunk line harness 20illustrated in FIG. 6 differs from the trunk line harness 20 illustratedin FIG. 2 in that the power supply line 21 and the communication line 22are not connected over the entire region in the extending direction.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, the branch line harnesses 30 areconfigured to correspond to a wire routing form to the vehicle body.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 5C, the trunk line harnesses 20 and thebranch line harnesses 30 are connected to corresponding electricalconnection boxes 10 of the plurality of electrical connection boxes 10in order. As a result, the wire harness 1 is formed.

Compared with a circuit configuration in which a power supply and anelectrical component are connected, in principle, one to one as similarto the circuit body of the related art described above, themanufacturing process of the wire harness 1 can be simplified by such amanufacturing method, and thus the productivity of the wire harness 1 isimproved. Further, for example, it is also possible to further improvethe productivity by integrating the branch line harness 30 for each areaon the vehicle body or the like.

Second Embodiment

Hereinafter, a circuit body (wire harness 1A and wire harness 1B) for avehicle according to a second embodiment of the invention will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9F.

The wire harnesses 1A and 1B according to the second embodiment differfrom the wire harness 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 in that the circuit bodyis applied to a vehicle body 2A of a vehicle with a right-side steeringwheel specification or a vehicle body 2B of a vehicle with a left-sidesteering wheel specification in the second embodiment. For convenienceof explanation, in FIGS. 7 to 9F, parts having substantially the samestructures and functions as those illustrated in FIG. 1 are denoted bythe same reference numerals and letters as those given to such parts inFIG. 1. Further, the detailed descriptions of those parts will beappropriately omitted.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example in which the wire harness 1A is wired onthe vehicle body 2A of a vehicle with a right-side steering wheelspecification. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the wire harness 1A includes abranch line harness 30 (including a branch line harness 30 a) for theright-side steering wheel in addition to the plurality of electricalconnection boxes 10 and trunk line harnesses 20.

The branch line harness 30 for the right-side steering wheel correspondsto the vehicle body 2A of the right-side steering wheel specification,and the electrical component 40 o around a steering wheel and theelectrical component 40 n around a head-up display are connected to anelectrical connection box 10 e provided on the right side in thevicinity of an instrument panel of the vehicle body 2A via the branchline harnesses 30 a. Therefore, it is possible to connect the electricalcomponent 40 o and the electrical component 40 n to the electricalconnection box 10 e at a shorter distance as compared with the exampleof FIG. 1, and it is possible to remove a central power connection box10 g provided in the example of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example in which the wire harness 1B is wired onthe vehicle body 2B of a vehicle with a left-side steering wheelspecification. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the wire harness 1B includes abranch line harness 30 (including a branch line harness 30 b) for theleft-side steering wheel in addition to the plurality of electricalconnection boxes 10 and trunk line harnesses 20.

The branch line harness 30 for the left-side steering wheel correspondsto the vehicle body 2B of the left-side steering wheel specification,and the electrical component 40 o around a steering wheel and theelectrical component 40 n around a head-up display are connected to anelectrical connection box 10 f provided on the left side in the vicinityof an instrument panel of the vehicle body 2B via the branch lineharnesses 30 b. Therefore, as similar to FIG. 7, it is possible toconnect the electrical component 40 o and the electrical component 40 nto the electrical connection box 10 f at a short distance as comparedwith the example of FIG. 1, and it is possible to remove the centralpower connection box 10 g provided in the example of FIG. 1.

In the examples illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, unlike the exampleillustrated in FIG. 1, a loop circuit constituted of a plurality ofelectrical connection boxes 10 and a plurality of trunk line harnesses20 is not configured. Depending on the degree of redundancy required fora circuit body (wire harness) for a vehicle, it may be determinedwhether to configure the loop circuit as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 7, and8. Details will be described below.

Next, an example of a manufacturing method of the wire harness 1A or thewire harness 1B described above will be described with reference to thedrawings.

First, as illustrated in FIG. 9A, the trunk line harnesses 20 areconfigured to correspond to a wire routing form to the vehicle body. Inthis case, the trunk line harness 20 may be configured such that thepower supply line 21 and the communication line 22 are constituted asone electric wire as illustrated in FIG. 2, or may be configured suchthat the power supply line 21 and the communication line 22 areconstituted as separate electric wires as illustrated in FIG. 6.Examples of the manufacturing methods of the trunk line harness 20 inthe cases of the former (one electric wire) and the latter (separateelectric wires) are the same as those of the first embodiment describedabove.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 9B, in a case of the wire harness 1A for avehicle with the right-side steering wheel specification, the branchline harnesses 30 (including the branch line harnesses 30 a) for theright-side steering wheel are configured to correspond to the wirerouting form to the vehicle body. On the other hand, as illustrated inFIG. 9C, in a case of the wire harness 1B for a vehicle with theleft-side steering wheel specification, the branch line harnesses 30(including the branch line harnesses 30 b) for the left-side steeringwheel are configured to correspond to the wire routing form to thevehicle body.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 9D, the trunk line harnesses 20 and thebranch line harnesses 30 (including the branch line harnesses 30 a) areconnected to corresponding electrical connection boxes 10 of theplurality of electrical connection boxes 10 in order. As a result, thewire harness 1A for a vehicle with a right-side steering wheelspecification is formed. Similarly, as illustrated in FIG. 9E, the trunkline harnesses 20 and the branch line harnesses 30 (including the branchline harnesses 30 b) are connected to corresponding electricalconnection boxes 10 of the plurality of electrical connection boxes 10in order. As a result, the wire harness 1B for a vehicle with aleft-side steering wheel specification is formed.

It is possible to simplify the manufacturing process of the wire harness1A for a vehicle with a right-side steering wheel specification and thewire harness 1B for a vehicle with a left-side steering wheelspecification with such a manufacturing method, and thus theproductivity thereof is improved. Further, parts having a commonstructure can be used regardless of those specifications, and thusversatility is high. Therefore, practically, it is possible to deal withthe difference in specifications depending on the steering wheelposition simply by selecting the branch line harness 30 a with theright-side steering wheel specification or the branch line harness 30 bwith the left-side steering wheel specification.

When a loop circuit is configured in the circuits of FIGS. 7 and 8, itis sufficient to selectively connect the trunk line harnesses 20 of FIG.9F to the trunk line harnesses 20 of FIG. 9A.

Other Embodiments

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above andvarious modification examples can be adopted within the scope of theinvention. For example, the invention is not limited to the embodimentsdescribed above and can be appropriately modified, improved, and thelike. In addition, materials, shapes, dimensions, numbers, placementlocations, and the like of constituent elements in the embodimentsdescribed above are arbitrary as far as the invention can be achievedand are not limited thereto.

For example, in the first and second embodiments, the electricalcomponent 40 has ID information. However, instead of the electricalcomponent 40, the connector provided at the end of the branch lineharness 30 may have the ID information.

Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, the branch lineharness 30 has the ground wire 33 (see FIGS. 3A to 3C). However, when itis not necessary to provide the ground wire 33 in the branch lineharness 30, it may be configured such that the ground wire 33 isincluded in the power supply line 31 and the communication line 32, notin the branch line harness 30 as illustrated in FIGS. 10A to 10C.

In the first and second embodiments, each of the trunk line harness 20and the branch line harness 30 has only one power supply line 31 (seeFIGS. 2A to 3C). However, if necessary, each of the trunk line harness20 and the branch line harness 30 may be configured to have a plurality(for example, two) of power supply lines 31.

In the first and second embodiments, the trunk line harness 20 does nothave the ground wire 33 and has only the power supply line 31 and thecommunication line 32 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B). However, the trunk lineharness 20 may be configured to have the ground wire 33 as needed.

Further, the electrical connection box 10 may be configured to have anantenna capable of wireless communication with the outside in additionto the various functions described above such that it is possible toprocess various kinds of information exchanged with the outside and totransmit and receive the information via the communication line 32.

Here, the features of the circuit body for a vehicle according to one ormore embodiments of the invention described above are briefly summarizedand listed below in (1).

(1) A circuit body (1) for a vehicle which is wired on a vehicle body ofthe vehicle for performing supply of electric power to an electricalcomponent (40) and communication of various communication signals withthe electrical component, the circuit body including:

-   -   a plurality of control boxes (10) separately disposed on the        circuit body and capable of controlling input and output of at        least one of the electric power and the communication signal;    -   a trunk line harness (20) connecting one of the plurality of        control boxes and another of the plurality of control boxes; and    -   a branch line harness (30) connecting the control box and the        electrical component,    -   wherein the plurality of control boxes include:        -   a trunk line connecting portion (11 a) to which the trunk            line harness is connected; and        -   a branch line connecting portion (11 b-11 d) to which the            branch line harness is connected, and    -   wherein at least one of the trunk line connecting portion and        the branch line connecting portion includes a plurality of        connectors which are classified into a plurality of groups        according to an allowable current amount and in which a        plurality of the connectors classified into the same group have        connection compatibility.

1. A circuit body for a vehicle which is wired on a vehicle body of thevehicle for performing supply of electric power to an electricalcomponent and communication of various communication signals with theelectrical component, the circuit body comprising: a plurality ofcontrol boxes separately disposed on the circuit body and capable ofcontrolling input and output of at least one of the electric power andthe communication signal; a trunk line harness connecting one of theplurality of control boxes and another of the plurality of controlboxes; and a branch line harness connecting the control box and theelectrical component, wherein each of the plurality of control boxescomprises: a trunk line connecting portion to which the trunk lineharness is connected; and a branch line connecting portion to which thebranch line harness is connected, and wherein at least one of the trunkline connecting portion and the branch line connecting portion comprisesa plurality of connectors which are classified into a plurality ofgroups according to an allowable current amount and in which a pluralityof the connectors classified into the same group have connectioncompatibility.